Boat structure



April 13, 1937. t L. R. LUECK BOAT STRUCTURE I Filed March 28, 1955 INYENI'OFS lflwfismcrs LUECh,

Patented Apr. 13, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT o-FFi-cE BOAT STRUCTURE Lawrence R. Lucck, El MontaCalif. Application March 28, 1 935, Serial No. 13,379 rolaim. (01. 7114-65) This invention relates to particularly constructed and shaped hulls for boats.

One of the objects of this invention is to design a'boat hull-that can be made from sheets produced in fiatfo-rm to cover the whole side of the hull.

Another object is to create a hull with distinctly straight lines transverselyto the curved lines that extend from bow to stern.

A Another object is to simplify the construction of aboat.

Another objectis to simplify the structure of a boat.

Another object is to eliminate or reduce seams in a boat.

Another object is to create more abruptly increasing surface .and body for the different tilting positions of a boat.

.Other objects will appear from the following description and appended claim as well as from the accompanying drawing, in which .Fig. 1 is a fragmentary somewhat diagrammatical illustration of the manner in which the boat sides are marked and out according to this invention.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary section through the keel and rudder structures on line 22 of Fig. 1,

Fig. 3 is aside elevation of a sailboat, partly broken away to show inside construction around the rudder shaft in accordance with this invention.

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a boat with a straight top, illustrating in dotted lines the necessity of trimming the upper edge of the sheets provided according to this invention.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary typical vertical cross section through a boat according to this invention.

Boats, large steam ships as well as the smallest sport boats, are generally formed along distinct curves, from bow to stern at the different or various elevations, or levels, or horizontal planes, as

bow to the stern; the present invention involves distinct straight lines formed along theedges of vertical planes, or as seen along the up and down edges of vertical cross sections of a boat.

This arrangement allows the whole sides of a boat to be made in' flat sheets, to be merely drawn into the desired shape around the hull of a'boat from bow to stern; both sides of the boat being absolutely of the same size and shape while in flat I form, and neither side requiring any special treatment or shaping before i being drawn over the sides of the boat.

Fig. 1 illustrates a typical method of marlnng and cutting the lower edge of a sheet for the side ofa boat, showing the simple manner in which such boat side is produced from a flat sheetwith out any bulging within any portion of such a sheet.

\ Whether such a side of a boat is made of a single sheet dependsentirely on the size of the boat and the size in which sheets of certain thickness can be had from the mill, and it should, therefore, be understood that when hereafter refer ence is madeto a sheet for a boat side it should mean and include any sheet naturally andnor mally coming in a single sheetiform from the mill as well as individualjpieces united into a sheet by welding orlotherwise.

Such a uniting of individual pieces, however, is to be understood to be produced in fiat form, or at least without any bulging preparatory to being drawn over the side of a boat.

When such a boat-side has been produced in flat form, on being drawn over the side of a boat, the upperedge of the sheet naturally has a tendency to curve upwardly at the opposite ends above the deck of a boat in a manner indicated in dotted lines at H in Fig. 4, and as a result the upper edge must also be trimmed, to conform with the desired outlines of the finished boat. The amount of trimming depends on individual requirements, since boats are designed with absolutely straight or level decks, such as indicated at I2 in Fig. 4 as well as also with curved decks, such as indicated at i3 in Fig. 3 and for a straight-deck boat, the upper edge of a sheet for the side of the hull naturally requires more of a trimming than with a curved deck.

Applicant, therefore, does not mean to limit himself to any particular shaping of the upper edge of any sheet for any size or type of boat.

7 The lower edge, however, is illustrated in Fig.

1 as designed in a very specific manner.

A vertical construction line 0-0 is marked off at a predetermined distance X from one end of the flat sheet, indicated in dotted lines at [4.

From the upper end of the line 0-0 the rearcurve I 5 is drawn at the radius R1. At the same time certain points are marked oiT along the line OO from its upper end downwardly, as indicated at a, b, c, d, e, f, g, and h, and a similar number of points are marked off along the lower edge of the sheet M, as indicated at (11, b1, 01, d1, e1, f1, 91, and hi. Vertical construction lines l6 are drawn upwardly from the points at the lower edge of the sheet, and these lines "5 are connected by sections of circles by the different radius-lines or curves produced by such means as indicated at R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, R3, R9, to result in the front-curve IT.

This completes one side of a boat as far as the lower curve is concerned. A second sheet is produced in a similar manner.

A keel structure for this boat hull is procured in a similar manner, a radius R10 being indicated to result in a keel-edge l8.

The keel structure is also made in two equal sheets, the keel-edges of the two being united, as by welding, the upper edges of the two sheets being trimmed, depending entirely on the spacing desired between the upper edges of the keel structure, and this upper edging of the keel structure is also trimmed to suit the trimming of the boat sides, to which the keel is united as indicated at IS in Fig. 5.

From the cross section of Fig. 5 it should be clear that the finished and attached keel structure is spaced difierently than the two sides of the boat proper. The keel-structure K merely serves to hold weight material such as lead, while the upper boat structure B must be designed for inside comfort as well as to result in a desired action of the completed boat, the two structures K and B being therefore not necessarily of a uniform shape on the outside.

Nevertheless, individually, both structures K and B show distinct straight lines in the cross sections taken at any point between the bow and stern similar to the showing of the typical cross section of Fig. 5, in which the keel structure has the straight lines between the lower keel edge l8 and the joints at I9, and the boat proper has the straight lines between the joints I9 and the upper deck-edge 20.

The keel sides are reinforced by the tie-rods 2|. An apertured partition 22, at about the joint between the keel K and the boat proper B also serves to reinforce the keel as well as the lower end of the main sides, the apertures in this partition serving to allow a removal or adding of weight material.

Stronger reinforcements are provided between the opposite sides of the boat proper B, stringers 23 at the same time serving to support a floor 24, and the wide plates 25, provided throughout the full length of the boat, serve at the same time as floor or support for the bunks inside of the boat. These plates 25 are furthermore reinforced by upright plates 26.

A full cross partition is preferably provided at about the point where a mast is to be supported as indicated at 21 in Fig. 5. At other points, gusset-plates 28 are provided to reinforce and brace the cabin and the hull.

Though there is a rather distinct offset or bend in the vertical lines at the joints IS, in the longitudinal lines all ofisets or variation of lines are carefully avoided, as, for instance, between the rudder indicated at 29 and the boat or keel, the outer contours of the rudder clearly being a continuation of the lines of the adjoining structure, as indicated by the lines 30 and 3| in Fig. 2, while the illustration in Fig. 3 just as clearly shows that the rudder 29 is practically a part of the keel structure K.

Having thus described my invention, I claim In a boat construction, a distinct boat portion, and a distinct keel portion, both being hollow and united at a certain divisional level and lines, bow and stern edges being curved between the keel and deck, the boat portion having distinctly straight lines in the upward direction between the divisional level and the deck, the keel portion having distinctly straight lines between the lowermost keel edge and the divisional level in an upward direction, and the deck edges being spaced so much more than the edges at the divisional level as to form a distinct sharp bend in the combined lines at any point between the bow and stern.

LAWRENCE R. LUECK. 

